flying vs. driving vs. bunnysitter

[BaileyBun]

I’m home for spring break, away from Bailey and Logan, and decided now is the time to start planning my next trip back home for a month in May-June after finals and before I start my summer internship.  I hate leaving them for even a few days, but so far, getting a sitter (I find girls at my college who live nearby or stay on campus for breaks) has worked really well.  However, everyone will be gone after finals, so I either need to find an actual petsitting place or take them with me, either in a car or in a plane.  Driving home takes three days, including stops for sleeping and eating.  Flying takes a total of 6 or 7 hours, depending on how long my layover is (plus 40 minutes to drive back to my house).  There are no direct flights from school to home.  I’ve researched airlines that allow rabbits in the cabin- I won’t be putting them underneath in the cargo area.  If I drive, I can bring a lot of their stuff with me- their ex pen, a box of their usual hay, etc., but that’s three whole days of scariness.  If I fly, I’ll only be able to bring the bare minimum- probably their pellets and their water bottle- and they’ll have to share supplies like hay with my mom’s guinea pigs.  But flying is a little scarier than driving, I would think, with the noise of the planes and the hustle and bustle of the airport.  

Does anyone have experience flying or taking a long road trip with bunnies?  Bailey adjusts very well to new situations, but Logan is very nervous (compared to her, at least), so I’m especially worried about him.  I’m wondering if it might just be a better idea to find a place where they can stay for a month- I just get so nervous when I can’t monitor them all the time.  I’m so used to adjusting their diet or their environment when I notice things, like Logan sneezing more, and no one knows them as well as I do.  I could leave them at my boyfriend’s apartment, which would definitely be the cheapest option, but when it comes to rabbit health, he’s pretty clueless (I suppose the benefit to leaving them there is that they’re used to his place- they have their own room there).  When I got Bailey, we decided that he would take care of her anytime I was gone, but since I’ve realized that he’s sort of rabbit-incompetent, now I feel like a bad bunny mom for not having planned this better   Any advice would be appreciated!

[longhairmike]

we’ll find out when we drive 1800 miles from Chicago to Phoenix this june with our buns…
a ford escape with the rear sets down will fit 2 huge carriers. il going to get the A/C recharged right before we leave.
i’d better bring an extra bag of yesterday’s news for myself…

[LizzyBunny]

I would say the car, because it most has your smell and you can take all their goodies unlike a plane. Also with the plane there is air pressure problems and I wouldn’t want to mess with that :S

[Monkeybun]

I drove 8 hours with some bunnies recently, although the bunnies themselves were on a much longer trip. I drove 440ish miles with them, but they did a total of 1598 miles. Long trip!

They do fine, just stop frequently for water and food, and a beak from constant movement.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’ve done longer trips twice-there and back. To be honest, it was easier then I thought, but I’m just not sure I would if I didn’t need to. I have a great sitter and they are just happy in their home.

No experience flying but I would say if you can’t arrange to take your buns as your carryon and have to check them, don’t fly with them. The cargo holds are neither temperature controlled, well pressurized nor quiet. That’s a very scary day. Plus they can spend hours on the tarmac for loading and unloading-and in weather that would not be ok. Also at least here, you are allowed one per person. So for instance I could not take two on a plane-and if I took one-no other passenger could have a carry on pet.

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